Shadowed Sparks (rewrite)
by EmberSkies
Summary: A spitfire girl who's not afraid to speak her mind, and a mysterious boy with a cynical, calculating thought process. This is the story of two kids with a dream, and how they became the most feared duo in SAO. OC-centric.
1. Prologue

_"Like the legend of the phoenix, all ends with beginnings."_

~Daft Punk, _Get Lucky_

* * *

Prologue

The world was still and silent.

Seconds ticked by, soundless as night, but for Jack, they pulsed loud as his heart itself. His entire being was immersed in the tiny digital numbers flashing on his LED light clock, a tiny green glow perched on the edge of his nightstand.

The world slept now, but Jack had never felt more alive.

12:51, his clock told him. The numbers reassured him; maybe everything in his real life was messed up, but numbers didn't lie. And besides, he'd have a new life soon.

12:53. Seven minutes, and Jack could start anew. No one would recognize him. Jack would have a new face, a new body, a new identity. He could fight with a sword; battle, hold his own in a fight. He'd level up, beat the dungeons, become stronger than anyone else.

Then Jack would beat the game, and maybe then, he'd be able to face his father.

12:56. Four minutes. Jack sprang into action, powering up the console, throwing off the bedcovers and dragging his slick black NerveGear out from underneath his bed, where he'd stowed it away in secrecy.

12:58. Jack slid the NerveGear over his head, falling back onto his bed and blinking to adjust to the film of black over his eyes. The time blinked in cerulean blue in the corner of his vision, and Jack clenched his fists in anticipation, adrenaline flowing through his body and waking up every cell, every molecule inside him.

12:59. One minute. Fifty nine seconds. Fifty eight. Jack counted down the seconds in his head, each moment like a mantra he hung onto with every fiber of his being. Jack let out a breath, closing his eyes and giving in to the tugging sensation of the NerveGear luring him into virtual reality.

Two words. Two words, and he'd be free of this world.

"Link Start."

One o'clock.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Okay, so just to clarify, this is a rewrite of Shadowed Sparks. The original Shadowed Sparks was pretty derpy, to be honest, so I've decided to rewrite it from scratch. I know the prologue was short, but it was meant to be. The chapters themselves will be much longer, I promise._**

 ** _So how do you like it so far? Reviews brighten up my day; all feedback is appreciated!_**


	2. Chapter 1

" _She sees them walking in a straight line,_

 _But that's not really her style._

 _And they've all got the same heartbeat,_

 _But hers is falling behind."_

~Echo Smith, " _Cool Kids"_

* * *

" _You should make friends," they would say. "It's okay to be shy. There are plenty of shy kids, just like you."_

 _That condescending smile. Luna hated them for it. "I don't want to be friends with them," she'd protest. "If I wanted to, I could totally chat them up. But I don't. I hate them."_

"' _Hate' is a strong word." They didn't think she understood. Of course they didn't._

" _I_ do _hate them." They didn't believe her. They never did._

 _They didn't know about how the other kids scrambled away from her on the bus. They didn't know about how girls would whisper to boyfriends, who eyed her vindictively before smashing their binders into her shoulder, sending her ricocheting headfirst into rows of lockers and leaving her seeing black spots in a world of pain._

 _Oh, no. They wouldn't care about that. They just did their job and nothing more, all fake smiles and cold eyes. They thought she was shy._ Shy.

 _None of that mattered anymore._

 _No one here knew her race, gender, nationality, past…she was safe here. She could do anything here. The sky was the limit, and she'd breach that barrier too._

 _Luna wasn't playing for fun anymore. She would beat this game, and become a legacy. So what if she'd failed so many times over in real life? None of that mattered here._

 _So she made up her mind. Luna Raval would beat Sword Art Online._

 _Then they'd respect her. All of them._

* * *

The first thing she saw was the sky.

Selki lay on soft grass, which tickled her neck and arms. For some reason, her first thought as the sea of blue and white above her swam into view was, _I'm totally gonna get grass stains all over my clothes._

She laughed a bit at her own absurdity, head lolling to the side as the grass blades brushed comfortably against her nose. Somehow, the sun casting light over her skin felt warmer than the sun she was used to back home. Not uncomfortably so, but warm to the point of bliss.

Selki raked her long pink hair out of her eyes, brushing dirt off her skirt as she reluctantly sat up—wait, pink hair? Skirt?

Blinking, disoriented, Selki held one pale hand up to the sunlight, registering for the first time that her skin was pale, not the cool brown she was used to. This was Lucy's avatar design, she realized. Huh. Selki hadn't pegged her friend for the short skirt type.

Selki stumbled to the nearest shopkeeper's window, examining her reflection. She now had long straight pink hair, green eyes, a navy jacket, black boots, and a pink and magenta plaid skirt. What even _was_ this? Ugh. Lucy really _had_ gone all out with the 'anime schoolgirl' look.

But Selki was playing Sword Art Online through Lucy's account, which meant she owed her Japanese friend big time. Then again, Selki had the account all to herself for the entire duration of Lucy's trip to Japan, which meant she could pretty much do anything she wanted.

So, first things first. Selki was in desperate need of a wardrobe change. She glanced around, before a street vendor selling clothing caught her eye. Delighted, she walked right up to him. "Hey, I'm looking for some new clothes. Got any recommendations?"

The man blinked, uncomprehending, before smiling. "How can I help you?"

Selki's eyebrows shot up, before realizing that maybe he hadn't heard her. She repeated herself, louder this time. "I need some new clothes. Got any recommendations?"

"How can I help you?"

Man, what was his problem? Selki growled, about to give him a piece of his mind, before a new voice stopped her. "He doesn't understand you. He's an NPC."

Whirling around, Selki discovered a teenage boy with an angular face and straight black hair, dressed in sharp navy and black. His cold blue eyes flickered up and down, sizing her up. He seemed almost bored.

Then again, he seemed to know what he was talking about. As a newbie, Selki needed all the help she could get. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The player gave her a look that clearly said, _What a noob._ "Non-player character. They're computer generated, like a CPU. Limited intelligence. I'm assuming you know what a CPU is?"

He was baiting her, she realized suddenly. He'd seen her fiery temper, and was trying to provoke her. Well, she certainly wouldn't give him what he wanted. Selki took a deep breath and answered calmly. "I know what a CPU is. Thank you for the advice." She snapped her head around to face the NPC, giving the other player a face full of pink hair.

"Okay, what do you have? Like, which of these do you think would fit me?" Maybe if she gave the NPC a more generalized request, he'd actually do his job and sell her clothing.

"How can I help you?"

Selki clenched her fists, about to blow up at the NPC, but the other player stepped forth, effectively silencing her. "Be more specific. Do you have any pants in her size?"

The NPC promptly dug through his stock of clothing before pulling out an assortment of bottoms, all in different colors. "Will this do, sir?"

The player turned to Selki. "Take your pick."

Ugh, this was infuriating! Selki opened her mouth, about to pour all her frustration into rage directed at him, but stopped. "Wait. What made you think I wanted pants?"

The player didn't gesture, per se, but his eyes flickered down to her skirt for a brief instant. "If you'd chosen that yourself, you wouldn't pull your skirt down so much. I figured you wanted something more modest."

If anyone else had said that, Selki would have instantly suspected perversion and run away as fast as her legs could carry her. But this boy didn't look like he had bad intent. He just looked bored, eyes half lidded and face slightly exasperated. He was handsome, but that didn't mean much in a virtual world; here, your avatar looked any way you wanted it to.

Selki took a deep breath, channeling her anger into a calm facade. He'd been helpful, after all. "Thank you," she muttered, almost reluctantly. "What's your name?"

The boy raised his eyebrows, face betraying a hint of surprise. A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "Blue."

Selki nodded in acknowledgement. "Selki."

She held out a hand for him to take, and when he shook it, Selki just knew that she'd have fun playing this game.

* * *

Somehow, she ended up following him all the way out to the fields.

"Monsters give off EXP and Col. These are low level beasts, but by gaining enough EXP you can level up."

He'd explain, and she'd stop him for questions when she got confused. "What's Col, and how can you fight higher level monsters? Do they come on later floors?"

"Col's the currency. Every floor has a Boss, which you beat to unlock the next floor. There are also Dungeons and Quests, where you beat monsters for prizes. If you're the last one to strike down a Floor Boss, you also get a prize."

"Last one? Wait, so you don't fight solo?"

Selki wasn't looking at him, but she got the feeling Blue had just rolled his eyes. "You have to team up to fight Floor Bosses and high level monsters. Soloing them is suicide."

"Are you a Beta Tester?"

That stopped him short. "No." There was a long pause. "What makes you say that?"

"You know so much about this game. It's like you've already experienced it. Somehow, I feel like you're lying."

Her brutal honesty was one of the reasons Selki had so few friends. Selki wasn't ashamed of it, though. If they couldn't accept her, they didn't deserve her.

Blue sighed. "The beta testers published a manual. I memorized it in preparation for the game."

Oh. There was a manual? Whoops. "I didn't know that." Selki turned to face him. "Is there anything else I should know?"

With a shrug, Blue unsheathed his sword. "That's the basics. You can buy higher level equipment once you level up and earn more Cor. You also need to enhance and repair your weapons at Blacksmith Shops." He paused. "That's all you need to know for now."

"For now?" Selki narrowed her eyes at him. "There's got to be more."

"There is, but don't worry about it. You don't strike me as a Clearer, anyhow."

"Clearer?" Selki unsheathed her sword as well and held it loosely at her side, watching him.

"Those who fight on the front lines, battling Floor Bosses. The highest level players." Blue held out his sword, suddenly focused on a spot about ten yards beyond them.

"How do you know? I'm stronger than I look."

"I doubt that." Blue kicked off the ground and sped towards a beast, sword glowing red before impaling the monster. There was an explosion of blue polygons, before a window popped up, informing Blue of his winnings.

Selki growled to herself. She mirrored his movements, bringing the sword back so that it crackled yellow, blade full of potential energy. She shot forward, blade held in front of her before slicing downwards. It hit the beast she was aiming for head on, which gave an animalistic scream before bursting into a shower of blue polygons. A window popped up for her as well, filling her with satisfaction as she examined her winnings.

"You have potential." Blue admitted.

"Shut up." Selki sped towards another beast, impaling it before swinging her blade in a graceful arc to meet a monster that had charged her head on.

Blue shot past her in a whirl of air, striking down another monster she hadn't noticed. Oh, so that was how it was? Selki smirked to herself. _Bring it on._

They spent the rest of the afternoon trying to outdo each other in ridiculous double and triple combos, and by they were done, the sun had neared the horizon.

"It's prettier out here than in the real world." Selki noted. Both of them were flushed and slightly out of breath, but the workout felt good on her virtual body.

Blue shrugged. "Depends on where you live." He leaned against a tree, sliding down to sit next to her. "It's nice here, though."

About a hundred yards away, a couple other players also watched the sunset. One was a man dressed in red, while the other was an older teenager in black. She couldn't make out their faces, but they seemed to have been battling monsters, too.

"Battling monsters is called grinding, by the way."

Whoa, it was almost as if he was reading her mind. She seriously considered the possibility, but concluded it was impossible, even in virtual reality. "What, catching me up with SAO lingo?"

The corner of Blue's mouth twitched again, as if about to smile. "I suppose."

Absently, Selki brought up her menu to check the time. "Whoa, it's that late already? I'd better get back." She turned to Blue. "How do you log out?"

Blue turned, leaning over to see her menu screen. "Through there." He guided her finger, but when she found the 'Logout' button and pressed it, nothing happened.

"It's grayed out." Selki looked at him. "Is there a way to reload?"

Blue didn't answer. Instead, he pulled up his own menu screen, a puzzled expression coming over his face. "No. Mine's not working either." He scowled. "If this is a glitch, it's a serious one."

A virtual keyboard popped up. Blue's fingers flew across it, typing something out before hitting a button on his menu. "I sent a message to the GM. They should fix it soon."

Selki shrugged, tensing up. "If you say so." Something was wrong; she felt it instantly. Blue could as well. From the way he stared straight ahead, jaw clenched and eyes bright, Selki could tell he was filtering through a million possibilities.

It annoyed her, finding someone just as smart, possibly even smarter, than she was. Selki hated when her intelligence was slighted. But this wasn't the time for such thoughts.

A blue light enveloped her suddenly, encasing Blue as well and lifting her off the ground. She heard him give a startled cry, but before she could scream, the world faded to darkness.

" _There's nowhere to run now, Luna."_

* * *

 **A/N: This is turning out very different from the original. On the bright side, it's following my original plot for the story, with only a few slight personality tweaks. I'm satisfied with this chapter, but also slightly impatient; I can't** _ **wait**_ **to write the action and drama.**

 **Hey, remember the cover art for the original Shadowed Sparks? That was drawn by me, and I'm making a new and improved cover for this version (the rewrite). The current cover is temporary, so keep an eye out for the new one.**

 **Leave a review; feel free to offer any constructive criticism. Don't forget to fav and follow for more chapters!**


	3. Chapter 2

" _A warning to the people,_

 _The good and the evil,_

 _This is war."_

~30 Seconds to Mars, _This Is War_

* * *

For a heart-stopping moment the blue light enveloped her, leaving Selki suspended in nothingness.

The moment passed, and her feet touched down on solid ground. A strange red shadow lit the people around her in a crimson tint, and Selki watched in growing horror as red hexagons with the word 'WARNING' emblazoned in capital letters crept up into the sky, forming a dome around them.

 _I need to find Blue,_ she thought numbly, pushing through the crowd of players rushing every which way. _He'll know what's going on._

"Blue!" she called out.

"Right here," he replied, tapping her arm.

Selki spun around to face him, pink hair flying. Her electric green eyes blazed with fear and fury, and she cut right to the chase. "Okay, you read the manual. What the hell's going on?"

Blue shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. This might be the intro."

"Intro?" Selki looked dubious. "I don't think I signed up for this. . ."

She trailed off, mute with shock and horror as blood began to seep from the hexagons, converging into a huge mass of crimson.

"The sky's bleeding," Blue murmured, blood draining from his face at an alarming rate. He looked like he was about to faint. Selki couldn't blame him; she was starting to feel a bit queasy herself.

Blue lightning wove around the mass of blood, crackling ominously—and suddenly wasn't blood at all, but a faceless man in a hooded red cloak, towering above them all.

" _My name is Kayaba Akihiko, and as of this moment, I am the sole controller of this world."_

The voice boomed, great and terrible, filling the space around them. Lucy would have gotten a kick out of such a grand intro, Selki thought, somewhat guiltily. Oh well; Selki would regale her with the details later.

" _I'm sure you've realized that the 'Log Out' button is missing from the main menu. This is not a defect in the game. I repeat, this is not a defect."_

 _This is not a defect._ Selki turned the words over in her head, their horrible implications all at once making themselves clear. _I repeat, this is not a defect._

" _It is a feature of Sword Art Online,"_ Kayaba continued, savoring the shock and dawning horror on the faces of the players. _"You cannot log out of SAO yourself, and no one on the outside can remove your NerveGear. Should this be attempted, a powerful transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life._

" _Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning and attempted to remove the NerveGear. As A result, 213 people are gone from both Aincrad and the real world."_

Selki felt numb, disconnected from the world, as the horrible, terrible truth sunk in. 213 people gone. Dead. Just like that. All because their parents and friends and families had tried to save them. Selki felt rage boiling up in the pit of her stomach, itching for an outlet.

" _As you can see, news organizations around the world are reporting all of this, including their deaths. It is safe to assume that the danger of having your NerveGear removed is now minimal."_

Selki should have felt relieved. Instead, a mixture of horror and hysteria began to bubble up inside of her. _Two hundred people died, but that's irrelevant because we're still alive, right?_ Her anger began to slowly channel itself into a funnel, clearing her mind and leaving her strangely calm.

" _I hope you will relax and continue to try to create the game, but remember this: If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will be forever lost, and the NerveGear will destroy your brain."_

All of her calm flew out the window, and panic froze Selki to the spot.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. This was some strange, terrible nightmare, and she'd wake up and her sister Ariel would be frying pancakes in the kitchen—

" _The only way to escape is to complete the game. You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. There are 100 floors in Sword Art Online. Beat the game, and you may return home."_

Kayaba made it sound so _simple_. But it wasn't simple at all, was it? After all, SAO wasn't just a game. Not anymore.

" _And finally, I have one last present for you."_

A mirror fell into her hands.

 _What's the point of this?_ Selki looked at her reflection for a moment, staring back into her own dark eyes, before realizing exactly what was wrong.

This wasn't her avatar. This was her actual body.

Perturbed by this revelation, Selki looked around for the first time, taking in the players' startled confusion. There was a disturbing amount of men in dresses, she noted. A chuckle forced its way out through her numb lips.

"Selki?" A young voice called out, small and slightly surprised.

Whirling around in surprise, Selki noticed a boy, maybe a year or two younger than she was, with fair hair and big blue eyes the color of a clear ocean.

Selki frowned for a moment; did she know this kid?

And suddenly she took in his familiar posture and quirked eyebrow, and realized _exactly_ whom she was addressing.

" _Blue?"_

* * *

When Selki—the _real_ Selki—looked at him for the first time, Blue wasn't sure what to think.

First of all, she looked way different than he'd expected her to. Actually, Blue wasn't sure _what_ he'd expected, but it certainly hasn't been this.

Her dark hair was short and layered, hanging just below her shoulders, the tips dyed bright red. Selki's skin was light brown, like a frappucino, and her eyes were expressive and dark. Blue watched her stare at him in disbelief, and quirked an eyebrow as she gave him the once-over.

"You look different," he noted.

Selki burst out laughing, and he couldn't help the stab of hurt that raced through his heart; _this_ was exactly why he'd changed his age. No one took him seriously in the real world.

"Oh, man!" she choked out. "I thought you were fifteen! What are you, like, ten?"

Blue glared at her, sharp annoyance flickering in his narrowed eyes. "I'm twelve."

"Oh." She stopped laughing. "Sorry. Didn't mean to insult you." _Hah. Too late for that now._ "I'm thirteen."

"Did you think I was older than you?"

"Yeah." Selki looked a bit sheepish. "I guess I did. I'm impressed though—you're pretty mature for a twelve-year-old."

"Thanks." Blue, taken by surprise, offered her a rare smile, so different from his usual smirk or sarcastic snark. Selki returned it with a grin of her own.

"Well, I'm off. Thanks for the tutorial, by the way. It was pretty helpful." Selki began to walk off.

Blue cut her off. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"To defeat the game." Selki blinked. "Duh."

"You can't solo floor bosses alone," Blue protested. "That would be suicide."

Selki's patience ran out, and she snarled at him. "Yeah, like you could?"

"Of course I can't." Blue looked faintly annoyed. "That's why I'm going to join a guild."

"I prefer to work on my own."

"I'd prefer to not see you get killed on your first day."

Selki's eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say?"

Blue couldn't help the momentary flash of smugness that shone in his eyes. "I propose a partnership."

"Partnership?" Selki gestured between them. "Like, between us two?"

Blue nodded, dead serious. "Yeah. It's simple. I'll have your back, and you'll have mine."

Selki had half a mind to protest. But then she caught sight of the confusion and fear whirling through the people around them. They didn't look ready to fight for their lives any time soon.

"Sure," she said finally, holding out a hand for him to shake. Blue shook it. Then he abruptly brought out his main menu, tapping a few buttons. A notification box appeared before Selki. _'You have received a friend request from BLUE',_ it read.

Selki hit the 'accept' button and exhaled. There. It was done.

"If we go, we go now." There was a definite finality in Blue's voice, and Selki grudgingly admitted to herself that the younger boy would make a good leader. "The others will come quickly, and kill all the surrounding boars—"

"—so we have to get there first," said Selki, completing his thought.

Blue nodded. "Precisely."

They stood there for a moment.

"Well, what are we waiting around for?" Selki grabbed his arm and broke into a run, a surprised Blue in tow. "Let's go kill some monsters!"

By the time they reached the outskirts of the village, they were going at a full-out sprint. Selki used her momentum to slice through two boars in one blow. Her teeth were grit, and her eyes shone with raw ferocity. Oh, yes—Selki couldn't care less if this entire world was against her; she'd had enough experience with that in real life.

Selki vowed in that moment, for the sake of the two hundred dead and the thousands more to come, and also partly out of raw hunger for vengeance, that she would beat the game. Selki would conquer Sword Art Online even if it was the last thing she did.


End file.
